Have you ever felt like you’ve been doing a lot of stuff but not actually getting a lot… DONE?

Yesterday started out like any other day…. I woke up, stretched, brushed my teeth, made coffee, brainstormed on a few upcoming projects…. and then I realized that it was the last day of September… I went into a small panic – What had I done versus accomplished during the month?

So, I spent the morning doing a personal review of my September including giving a hard look at accomplishments, failures (or things I needed to improve upon), opportunities and potentials…

And while I’ve been busy, I recognized I hadn’t been overall as productive…

I looked at things such as what (if anything) had changed in my routine (aside from my ridiculous traveling schedule)…. and suddenly, the light from above shined and the angels sang – and I had a total lightbulb moment and could see several big (albeit temporary now that I know about them!) productivity (both personal and business) problems… and I know  I am not the only person out there with them…

1. Technology Complacency: I upgraded to a new iPhone4 the day before going to Italy  but I had not updated all of my settings, apps and systems… So when we returned, I remained complacent with the new settings and just… did not proactively deal with it. Not ensuring and confirming regularly that Evernote as well as my various calenders were properly syncing created some serious scheduling problems in both pre-existing commitments and pending commitments.. It became an energy suck but when you are so busy, it’s easy to overlook things that are not an immediate crisis…. Had I been using my solution in item in #4 on this, I would have been able to “see” this problem versus “remember it…”
2. A couch is NOT A workstation: Having gotten so used to being accessible, mobile and workshifting from coffee shops this summer, when I’m in my home, I’ve been working on the dreaded couch. BAD MOVE! No wonder my back has been hurting.
3. Online networking and mental activity does not equal physical activity: Due to the traveling, I haven’t had the mental and energy capacity to be attending countless events and always on the go…. therefore, in the quest for some “down” time, it literally became “I”m going to relax… sitting down… alot.” which resulted in a much more sedentary month that usual…
4. Are you a visual learner? Know your style: I am SUCH a visual learner… yet I have completely neglected my dry erase board and the true joy that comes with writing out tasks, projects, to-dos and getting the satisfaction of visually crossing them off the list… If it’s out of sight, out of mind.
5. Making a plan versus planning to fail: It seems I failed to actually update my September calendar and schedule physical activity/walking/working out and treat them like business meetings. Instead, I’ve been trying to “fit them in…” and you probably know what THAT means… YEP, they are on the bottom of the imaginary priority lis. This is one of the hardest things for a visual scheduler in the virtual or electronic world.

It didn’t seem or FEEL like I was getting in my own way but when I REALLY thought about my month yesterday, it all became so clear. Now, I can see my obstacles and devise my plan of action...

And you BET I dragged out my dry erase board yesterday, jotted down everything from my head and WOW did it feel GOOD to not be holding onto that data any longer….

So, what about you?

• Can you identify with any of the challenges above?
• What things have you been neglecting or not handling that is making life or business productivity harder than necessary?
• What kind of learner are you and what tools do you use to help stay on track?

Today is the day….

Today is the day you commit to nurture your business… Handle those emails you keep putting off… Talk to that prospect… Follow up on an issue.. Update your LinkedIn profile!
Today is the day you call your parents, or siblings or old friend and let them know you are thinking about them instead of using email….
Today is the day you decide on an event (or at least commit to NOT attend…)  And share the event with a few people who might really appreciate you thinking about them and helping them… Facebook now makes it so easy to reply and share.. Use it!
Today is the day you set a goal for TODAY, This week, this month and this quarter! You can’t hit a goal if you don’t set it.. In fact, Wayne Gretzky said it best – “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Why today? Because the longer you delay these things, the easier it is for things to get between NOW and tomorrow…  And for all we know, today could be the only day we’ve got…
Tomorrow will BE today in just a matter of hours..

Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery. And today?
Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.
~Babatunde Olatunji

What are you going to do TODAY to make sure today counts?

Lately, most of my prospects are needing help with this – figuring out who is their ideal client… I mean REALLY figuring it out. Why? Because… how can you market to them, or get referred to them, or even identify them when they are right in front of you, if you don’t know who they really are?

Many are going to events and having business meetings yet struggling with making solid connections or referrals because they can’t articulate this.. This is the foundation of successful referral partnerships. How can you establish mutually beneficial relationships with strategic alliances if neither of you knows how to help each other?

I found a great list of questions for determining who is your ideal client. (For the entire list by Bonnie Jo Davis with David Virtual Assistance, click here)

Four of those questions are:

Is his or her business located in their home?

What problems does this person have?

Where can you find him or her?

Does this person belong to any organization such as a trade association or volunteer group?

I’m noticing people are going to events where their competitors are… but they are NOT going to where their prospects are. And they think they don’t want to work with their competitors, because they don’t know how to truly leverage that relationship, and then wonder why aren’t they getting referrals or making money from the events they are attending… Here lies part of the problem.

Based on simply the 4 questions above, you should already be having some big AH-HA moments…

Case study:

• Let’s take someone who sells toner.
• They are probably going to events where they figure they should attend with other professionals such as Chamber functions or structured, general networking events.
• However, in those circles, they are bound to run into others who sell similar services (or know someone who does.)

I would then work with this person to figure these things out:

• Where can they go where they will meet less competitors?
• Where can they  meet people with the problems their clients have?

I’d suggest less mainstream events or or smaller events, such as town hall meetings, niche happy hours or targeted trade associations gatherings… You need to research to make sure that the people you are looking to meet will most likely be at this event. The idea is to maximize your networking efforts, not waste time.

On top of that, Mr./Ms. Toner could also think of what other people WORK with their prospect. Who can they form a  strategic alliance or referral partnerships with others who target that same demographic…

• In this case, accountants or bookkeepers would be a great alliance.
• They can also reach out to individuals who sell to schools, office managers or even government entities who already have relationships with the decision makers.
• I would also suggest they connect with people who help businesses cut overhead and reduce debt because they are probably scrutinizing every expense they have.. .

These are just some examples to get you thinking bigger… There are so many opportunities but if you don’t know how to let others know how they can help you or refer you to a good prospect or introduce you to a strategic alliance, how can they help you when you are unsure of how to help yourself?

Based on the four questions above, can YOU answer them? Share the answers in the comments below. You never know who may be reading the comments section and make a good introduction for you!

How much time have you spent idling today? Be honest with yourself… Was your Monday really as productive as you hoped?

Here are 7 ideas that you can do relatively quickly to maximize the next 10 minutes while having a profound impact. By doing them, you’ll nurture your network, build your brand, and help you maximize your time.

1 – Send a thank you to someone... it could be for a previous referral, introduction or just to thank them for being in your life. Make sure to include WHY you are thanking them.

2 – Introduce 2 (or 3, if you are feeling adventurous) people and make sure to include why you think they should be connected.

3 – Update your LinkedIn profile, whether it be with a new picture or expanding on your current services, or simply by updating your status bar. This will help you be top of mind with your contacts as this will appear in their updates news feed. (If you don’t use LinkedIn, now would be a great time to start. It’s very powerful!)

4 – Comment thoughtfully on a blog post written by someone in your community.

5 – Reach out to someone you’ve lost touch with and schedule a time to get caught up, such as an informal coffee. Email is great but pales in comparison to the value of meeting with someone in person.

6 – Reply to that email that you keep putting on the back burner… You know which one I’m talking about.

7 – Take your eyes away from the screen, look at the wall so that they can get a rest, stand up and STRETCH!!!!!!

Do you have any suggestions of things for me to include on my next list of 7? Do share!

When it comes to growing a business and marketing a business through networking (whether in person or online), time mastery is important. It is simply too easy to waste time driving, checking email, running late, forgetting things, etc etc etc. These are some of the gremlins that even I personally struggle with that eat my time up. I’m all too familiar with it. In fact, I may be genetically pre-disposed to bad time habits because I’m (big shocker here…) Hispanic… and Hispanic’s are notorious for being punctually challenged.

I attended a workshop in Charlottesville, Virginia, taught by David Finkel from the Maui Mastermind Wealth Community on time management… These were the top three takeaways that I had. They are so easy and have had a profound impact on my scheduling already. I am confident they will do the same for you if you are not already doing them.

• Be Early. Being early causes less stress! In addition, when you are early to appointments, it has been shown that the level of trust between you and the person you are meeting with goes up… If that isn’t the best reason of all, I don’t know what is… Now, early does not mean ON TIME. It means 10-15 minutes before the appointment time.
  

• Use your time “waiting” more productively. That means spend less time chatting on the phone or browsing the net and use that time to actually accomplish things or plot out what you need to accomplish. This can also be applied to when you are on HOLD or waiting to receive something, such as a fax (do people still use those), an email, a direct message or a text.

• Consciously choose your commitments. It’s okay to say NO instead of saying yes and then backing out of something due to over-committing. Your time is very valuable and you need to be aware of how you are sharing your time with others.

Do you have any time mastery tips or time stealing gremlins? Do share!

My mobile office to maximize productivity... and sanity!!

Between September 24 and November 10, I attended 10 conferences/workshops/summits, travelled to 6 states, hosted 4 of my own WIN events, spoke at 3 events and participated in 2 tele-seminars.

And, right now I’m at the airport dealing with a 3 hour flight delay in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Suffice to say, I’ve been busy.

I’ve been getting asked frequently how I manage to get any work done and stay sane. Creature comforts become all the more important when existing outside of your normal elements.

These are a few of the things that help me stay sane.

• Light laptop – I have a Mac Air. The fact that I can put this thing into my purse and have it not drag me down is glorious. There are things that I miss about heavier units such as having a CD rom but the weight benefit alone while still having a decent size screen makes this baby worthwhile.

• MobileMe – I simply love this service from Apple. I love the fact that I can log in on the web from any computer, add an event or appointment and it almost instantly updates my phone without the need for physical syncing. However, I am in the process of considering to convert to Google Calendar… but the principle is the same!

• Virtual Assistant – Kyra Hatter with Virtually Ideal Executive Services is my salvation! She manages my massive voicemail inflow, contact follow up and speaking engagements. If you are struggling with too much to do and not enough time, I highly encourage you to consider a VA.

• Great Headphones – As you will see in the picture, I don’t mess around when it comes to headphones. Now, these are not the new spiffy ones with noise reduction (though I’d love a pair if anyone has an extra set laying around! ). These headphones are near and dear to me as I’ve had them since 1998 when I used to DJ. I splurged and they have not let me down yet. I highly encourage everyone to consider getting –serious- headphones if music helps you get to your “happy place”.

• Ipod – Yes, I’m using an antiquated Ipod mini but I love it. Yes, I have an iphone and a laptop. I could easily consolidate. In fact, I even got a new ipod mini but it was such a nightmare moving the music and playlists over that I let my husband “acquire” the ipod. I have music on here from the last… 6 years and it’s a compilation from my last 4 computers and I simply don’t have the originals from when I burned them.

What things keep you sane?